A radio show hosted and produced by Stephanie Patton featuring interviews with top jazz musicians on the scene today
Author: Charles Bingham
I build community and health project websites in Sitka, Alaska. My sites include http://www.sitkalocalfoodsnetwork.org/, http://walksitka.wordpress.com/, http://sitkacycling.wordpress.com/, http://getoutsitka.wordpress.com/, and http://walkbikealaska.org. My portfolio site is http://charlesbingham.wordpress.com/. Since I build and maintain most of these sites on a volunteer basis, feel free to donate to me through PayPal to help with the costs, https://www.paypal.me/CWBingham3. Thanks
Join me at 9 p.m. on March 15, 2023, for the next edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz bass player, composer, and band leader Marc Johnson.
Marc was born in Nebraska in 1953, and he grew up in Texas. By age 19, he was working professionally with the Fort Worth Symphony, and while at North Texas State University, he played and recorded with fellow student Lyle Mays.
After graduating he toured and recorded with Woody Herman, before becoming, at the age of 25, the bassist with the Bill Evans Trio, following in the footsteps of masterful players including Scott La Faro, Gary Peacock and Eddie Gomez.
Marc’s many recording credits since then include discs with Michael Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette, Eliane Elias, Peter Erskine, Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Joe Lovano, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheny, Ben Monder, Paul Motian, Enrico Pieranunzi, and Wolfgang Muthspiel, among others.
Join me for the Feb. 22, 2023, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Emmet Cohen.
A multifaceted American jazz pianist and composer, Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures in music and the related arts.
Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio and creator of the Masters Legacy Series, he is an internationally acclaimed jazz artist, a dedicated educator, the winner of the 2019 American Pianists Awards, and a finalist in the 2011 Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.
Cohen headlines regularly at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Village Vanguard, and Birdland, and has appeared at the Newport, Monterey, and North Sea jazz festivals. His artistry has taken him to venues and festivals in more than 30 countries. Cohen’s entrepreneurial energies led to his developing “Live From Emmet’s Place,” a live-streamed “Harlem rent party” that unites a worldwide audience via tens of millions of internet views.
Cohen has released more than 10 albums as leader and has performed or recorded with Ron Carter, Benny Golson, Jimmy Cobb, George Coleman, Jimmy Heath, Tootie Heath, Houston Person, Christian McBride, and Kurt Elling.
Join me for the Feb. 1, 2023, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Eugene Maslov.
A piano prodigy from St. Petersburg, Russia, now residing in the USA, Eugene is a critically acclaimed pianist, composer and arranger deeply rooted in contemporary post-bop jazz. Whether performing as leader or sideman, Eugene is a first-rate artist and his passion for music continues to inspire legions of jazz fans from around the globe. He has recorded and performed with Shirley Horn; Toots Thielemans; Gary Burton; Hubert Laws; Omar Hakim; Eddie Gomez; Vinnie Colaiuta and Bob Sheppard to name a few.
Eugene’s continued development of classical and jazz techniques have resulted in a series of ground-breaking CD releases as leader. Where the Light Comes From“, brings his prolific experience and encyclopedic knowledge of jazz form and improvisation to a format with a balanced concept, astutely and poetically rendered within the tight chemistry of his backup musicians, which include Laws and Colaiuta.
His latest CD titled, “Holiday Classics” is a masterpiece in solo jazz and classical crossover piano. Eugene’s latest album is beautiful collection of timeless classic Holiday and Christmas songs.
Join me for the Jan. 25, 2023, edition of After Hours on KRBD Rainbird Radio as I’m joined in conversation with Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander.
Monty’s playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues-rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson and Frank Sinatra. Monty also sings and plays the melodica. He’s known for his surprising musical twists, bright rhythmic sense and intense dramatic musical climaxed.
Monty is married to jazz vocalist Caterina Zapponi, who was interviewed on the After Hours show broadcast on March 9, 2020.
Click this link to listen to the Monty Alexander interview from Jan. 25, 2023. Click this link to listen to our previous After Hours show featuring Monty Alexander, originally broadcast on Jan. 13, 2020. Click here to visit Monty’s personal website.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 20, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with award-winning jazz vocalist Andrea Miller.
Andrea Miller’s voice has been described as soulful, sensual, hypnotic and endearing. In 2021 and 2020 she became a Top 5 Finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Influenced by Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan and Stevie Wonder, Andrea is currently heating up the international jazz scene.
Andrea opened for the legendary Al Jarreau at many concerts before he passed including the Newport Beach Jazz Festival. She received a standing ovation and gracious compliments from Jarreau and his band and was set to tour with and open for him on his European tour, just prior to his passing.
In 2022, Andrea headlined the Punta Mita Jazz Festival and will headline San Jose Jazz Weekend, The Texas Jazz Festival and Festival de Jazz de Polanco in Mexico City. In 2020 she headlined Bemol 5 Jazz club in Lyon, France. In 2021 and 2019 Andrea headlined Jazz De Polanco Festival in Mexico City and Jazz at LACMA in Los Angeles. In 2018 she headlined the Newport Beach Jazz Party Series, and in 2017 she headlined the Utah Arts Festival, the Salt Lake City Jazz Festival and the Newport Beach Summer Jazz Series with the Tom Kubis Big Band.
“A brilliant young singer” – Al Jarreau
Click this link to go to Andrea’s personal website. Click here to listen to a recording of her interview.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with award-winning vocalist Molly Johnson.
Molly is known as one of Canada’s greatest vocalists. She is a mother, singer-songwriter, artist and philanthropist, who has just released her highly anticipated new album, “Meaning To Tell Ya”. Produced by multiple GRAMMY Award winning producer, Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones); it is more than a jazz record. It’s funk, it’s soul, it’s groove played by some of Canada’s best musicians.
Dedicated to supporting communities in need, Molly established the Kumbaya Foundation and Festival in 1992, raising awareness and funds for people living with HIV/AIDS, and continues to work with several other charitable organizations each year. Molly has been awarded the Queen’s Jubilee medal, and in 2008, was honored with becoming an Officer of The Order Of Canada (O.C.). This rare distinction was given to Molly to recognize her philanthropic work for a variety of causes and for her international contributions to the arts. In 2016, Molly launched the Kensington Market Jazz Festival, which fills this colorful and vibrant area of Toronto with over 400 local Canadian musicians, performing 150-plus shows over one weekend in September to more than 5,000 enthusiastic music fans.
Molly was the voice of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio 2 Weekend Morning program where she eased listeners into their weekend with great Canadian songs, and stories about musicians and the people of Canada, from coast to coast. The Canadian music icon’s latest release, the Juno-nominated, Because of Billie (2014) is a celebration of the music of Billie Holiday. Billie Holiday’s journey inspires Johnson not only as an artist, but as a model citizen. Paying homage to Holiday’s childhood struggles, Johnson donated a portion of album sales to the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with Ketchikan’s own music teacher Roy McPherson.
Roy has been a force of music education in Ketchikan since 1972. He taught high school band and choir and was the school district’s music coordinator for 10 years (1972-82). After retiring from teaching in 1982, Roy left Ketchikan for a time but couldn’t stay away for long. With his wife, trombone player Tina McPherson, he opened a treasured music store in 1987, McPherson Music, which has been a musical haven for much of the community.
McPherson Music, which closed in 2017, was a place for private lessons, classes (such as Discovering Music Fundamentals), and was the home of the Soundwaves youth jazz band and later the Windjammers youth-adult jazz band (now all adults). When the store closed, they moved some of the store to their home, including its large mural by David Rubin.
Roy was inducted into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame in 2010. He also was inducted into the Alaska Music Educators Hall of Fame in 1986. Be sure to tune in and be inspired.
Click this link to go to an article about McPherson Music. Click this link to read an article about his induction into the Alaska High School Hall of Fame. Click this link to go to a Facebook page about Roy McPherson. Click this link to listen to a recording of the April 6 interview.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with jazz pianist Christian Jacob.
Christian is a multi-Grammy-nominated pianist and arranger and first gained widespread exposure as music director for Maynard Ferguson and later as leader of the Christian Jacob Trio and co-leader of the Tierney Sutton Band.
“A post-bop modernist touched by the souls of Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett. … Pianist Christian Jacob is a wonderful player whose crystalline melodies and expansive harmonies mark him as someone to keep an ear on.” ~ JAZZ TIMES
Born in Lorraine, France, Christian fell in love with classical music at age 4 and discovered jazz at age 9. After graduating with “First Prize” from the Paris Conservatory, Jacob came to America to focus on improvisation at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While attending Berklee, Christian won a number of awards, including the Oscar Peterson Jazz Masters Award, the Great American Jazz Piano Competition and “Downbeat” magazine’s distinction as Top Collegiate Jazz Soloist. He went on to teach at Berklee, tour with Maynard Ferguson, perform and record with a number of jazz legends and was listed by The Japan Times as one of the best-selling foreign jazz pianists in Japan. His extensive discography includes five critically acclaimed trio recordings and seven Grammy nominations from his alliance with vocalist Tierney Sutton, drummer Ray Brinker and bassists Trey Henry and Kevin Axt. Christian also received a Grammy Nomination as an arranger with The Phil Norman Tentet.
While Christian performs year round, his arranging skills are also highly sought after. He has been arranging for the Swiss Youth Jazz Orchestra since 1990 and The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra since 2005, featuring such talented artists as John Scofield, Billy Cobham, Charlie Haden, Phil Woods, Joe Lovano, Ron Carter and Gary Burton. Christian’s latest collaboration has been with renowned Japanese composer Kunihiko Murai and Maestro Jorge Calandrelli.
In 2014, Christian released his first solo piano recording, Beautiful Jazz: a private concert, aptly titled as this intimate solo recording is a dedication to the music that drew him away from the classical world and introduced him to the beautiful world of jazz. Recorded in pure analog and available as a limited edition vinyl LP.
In 2016, the original score to director Clint Eastwood’s box-office smash “Sully”, was created by Christian, The Tierney Sutton Band and Clint Eastwood. It was a fulfilling moment, to orchestrate his and the band’s music for a 70-piece orchestra and hear it live with the brilliant Conrad Pope conducting. The following year Eastwood asked Christian to compose the music for his next film, “The 15:17 to Paris.”
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with vocalist Stacey Kent (this interview originally was scheduled to air on Dec. 8, 2021).
Stacey Kent is a jazz singer in the mould of the greats, with a legion of fans worldwide and a host of honors and awards, including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million, platinum, double-gold and gold-selling albums that have reached a series of No. 1 chart positions during the span of her career.
Her album, I Know I Dream: The Orchestral Sessions (Sony) has had more than 40 million streams, won ‘Album of the Year’ in the vocal category at the 2018 Jazz Japan Awards, and received glowing reviews, including a coveted five stars in Downbeat, and was described by All About Jazz as “intoxicating understatement at its finest…one more jewel in a discography with many, it’s one that deserves singling out for its luster.”
This comparative literature graduate with a passion for music travelled to Europe to further her studies, and after receiving her degree from Sarah Lawrence College in New York, through a series of twists of fate, she found herself in London where she enrolled in a graduate music program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and where she met her future husband and musical partner, Jim Tomlinson.
Join me for After Hours Alaska at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, on KRBD public radio in Ketchikan, Alaska, as I’m joined in conversation with jazz vocalist Leslie Page.
Leslie is a singer/songwriter and resident of sunny Southern California. She is an incredible vocal force with unique life experiences that resonate in the timbre of her rich and sultry tone. Her career as a live performance vocalist, studio session singer and touring background vocalist spans with more than 20 years of experience.
Leslie has shared the stage with an ongoing list of world class musicians and entertainers including Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr, Keith Urban, Vince Gill, Billy Gibbons, Rick Springfield, Zack Brown Band, Gary Clark Jr, Hunter Hayes, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Peaches and Herb, Richard Marx and many more. Her vocals have been featured on numerous television/film/commercial recordings and album projects. In July 2019, Leslie released her first jazz album, Heart Songs, produced by Tony Guerrero, featuring some original music as well as covers of some of her favorite jazz tunes.
She has been described as a pro’s pro, having one of the finest and most adaptable voices you’ll ever hear and has been dubbed by producers as the “one take wonder”. Leslie is a woman who sings from the depths of her soul, with great tune and skill. She is truly a master of her instrument.
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